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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
A combined mobile phone and pager, and a corresponding method and
network for implementing the mobile phone/pager is disclosed. The
mobile phone/pager includes a mobile phone portion, which has an
on/off switch. The mobile phone/pager also has a pager portion,
and a relay. The relay is operationally connected to the pager portion
and the on/off switch of the mobile phone portion for turning on
the on/off switch upon receipt of a paging signal by the pager.
A paging signal transmitted from a paging station is received through
the pager portion. The pager portion then activates the relay, thereby
turning on the on/off switch, and activating the mobile phone. The
mobile phone portion may be turned off between calls to conserve
battery power.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
We claim:
1. A method of activating a mobile phone having an on/off switch
operationally associated with a pager through a relay, the method
comprising the steps of:
transmitting at a paging station a paging signal;
receiving through the pager the paging signal;
determining whether a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component
(MPSIC) is present in said paging signal;
displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving
said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present
in said paging signal; and
activating the relay in response to receiving said paging signal,
upon determining that said MPSIC is present in said paging signal,
thereby turning on the on/off switch, and activating the mobile
phone.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of performing,
by the mobile phone, a registration procedure after the mobile phone
is activated.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting
from a mobile telecommunications system a mobile paging signal which
is delayed a predetermined time period from the transmitting of
the paging signal at the paging station.
4. A method of activating a mobile phone having an on/off switch
operationally associated with a pager upon receipt of an incoming
call for the mobile phone, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving at a cellular network the incoming call;
sending a page request from said cellular network to a paging network;
generating and transmitting from said paging network a pager signal
directed to the pager associated with the mobile phone;
receiving at the pager the pager signal;
determining whether a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component
(MPSIC) is present in said pager signal;
displaying a paging message through said pager in response to receiving
said pager signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is not present
in said paging signal; and
turning on the mobile phone in response to receiving the pager
signal, upon determining that said MPSIC is present in said paging
signal.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising after the step of
receiving at the cellular network the incoming call, the steps of:
transmitting a mobile paging signal from said cellular network
to the mobile phone to determine whether the mobile phone is on;
and
completing the call upon determining that the mobile phone is on.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the turning on step includes
starting a registration procedure.
7. The method of claim 4, wherein after the turning on step, the
method further comprises a step of performing by the mobile phone
a registration procedure.
8. A mobile phone/pager comprising:
a mobile phone portion having an on/off switch;
a pager portion further comprising:
means for receiving a paging signal from a paging network; and
means for determining whether said paging signal includes a Mobile
Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC);
means for displaying a paging message through said pager in response
to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC
is not present in said paging signal; and
a relay operationally connected to the pager portion and the on/off
switch for turning on the on/off switch of the mobile phone portion
upon receipt by the pager portion of a paging signal that includes
a MPSIC.
9. A mobile phone comprising:
a pager for receiving paging signals from a paging network, said
pager further comprising:
means for receiving a paging signal from said paging network;
means for determining whether said paging signal includes a Mobile
Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC); and
means for displaying a paging message through said pager in response
to receiving said paging signal, upon determining that said MPSIC
is not present in said paging signal;
a transmitter/receiver for transmitting and receiving mobile phone
calls;
a keypad for inputting digits of a phone number;
processing means connected to the keypad and the transmitter/receiver
for establishing a call through the transmitter/receiver;
a power supply for providing energy to the pager, transmitter/receiver,
keypad, and processing means;
an activating switch operationally connected to the power supply
and the pager for activating the transmitter/receiver, keypad, and
processing means; and
a discriminator operationally connected to the pager and the activating
switch for allowing the activating switch to activate the transmitter/receiver,
keypad, and processing means only when the pager signal includes
the MPSIC.
10. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the activating switch
is a relay connected between the power supply and the transmitter/receiver,
keypad and processing means, and the relay is activated by the pager
upon receipt of a paging signal that includes a MPSIC.
11. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the pager includes a second
independent power supply.
12. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein upon activating the transmitter/receiver,
keypad and processing means, the processing means and transmitter/receiver
perform a registration procedure.
13. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the activating switch
is a relay connected between the power supply and the transmitter/receiver,
keypad and processing means, and the relay is activated by the pager
upon receipt of a paging signal having the mobile paging indication
component.
14. The mobile phone of claim 13, wherein upon activating the transmitter/receiver,
keypad and processing means, the processing means and transmitter/receiver
perform a registration procedure.
15. A mobile phone/pager network comprising:
a pager network including:
a plurality of pagers;
means for broadcasting to said pagers a standard paging signal;
and
means for broadcasting to said pagers a paging signal that includes
a Mobile Paging Signal Indication Component (MPSIC); and
a mobile phone network connected to said pager network, said mobile
phone network including:
a plurality of mobile phones, at least one of the mobile phones
having:
an associated pager from said plurality of pagers;
an on/off switch responsive to said associated pager for turning
on the mobile phone upon receipt by said associated pager of a paging
signal that includes said MPSIC; and
a display for displaying a paging message through said associated
pager in response to receiving said paging signal, upon determining
that said MPSIC is not present in said paging signal; and
means for registering with said mobile phone network;
discriminating means for differentiating the mobile phones responsive
to one of the pagers and mobile phones not responsive to one of
the pagers; and
paging means for paging the mobile phone within the mobile phone
network when the mobile phone is not responsive to one of the pagers;
and
bypassing means for activating the paging network to broadcast
a paging signal that includes said MPSIC to the associated pager
when the incoming call is directed to one of the mobile phones responsive
to one of the pagers, thereby turning on the mobile phone and activating
the registering means.
16. The mobile phone/pager network of claim 15, wherein each of
said plurality of pagers includes means for determining whether
the MPSIC is present in the paging signal before activating the
relay.
17. The mobile phone/pager network of claim 15, wherein the discriminating
means also includes an associated phone number of the pager to which
each responsive mobile phone is responding, said associated phone
number being utilized by the bypassing means for paging the pager.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a combined mobile phone and pager,
and more particularly to a system and method for implementing a
mobile phone/pager in which the pager activates the mobile phone.
2. Description of Related Art
In modem mobile telecommunications systems, two major groups of
products co-exists on the market: mobile telephony systems and paging
systems. Mobile telephony systems are used by mobile telephone subscribers
moving throughout the coverage area of the mobile telephony system
utilizing mobile telephones referred to as mobile stations. The
coverage area of the mobile telephony system comprises a group of
cells. Each cell broadcasts over a small area and is adapted to
transmit and receive communication signals with several users at
the same time on an ongoing basis. When a subscriber is moving throughout
different cells, the communication signals are handled sequentially
by the cells in which the subscriber is passing. The communications
signals are sent continuously during a call, and regularly when
the mobile phone is turned on but not on a call. Of course, this
continuous and regular sending of communications signals requires
energy.
The second group, paging systems, typically has one wide cell which
covers the whole paging area where paging subscribers can receive
short message pages. The pager is always tamed on to "listen"
to short message pages, and to receive the ones that are dedicated
to it. Thus, a small quantity of energy is used continuously to
listen, and a greater quantity of energy is used only upon receipt
of an incoming short message page.
Subscribers greatly appreciate the flexibility offered by mobile
telephone systems, and mobile stations are being used for an ever
increasing number of applications |